by Tôwa
“I can’t believe the monster was still alive… I’m glad you and Theresia are both safe,” said Igarashi when Theresia and I went up to the suite and told everyone what happened.
“It rattled me a little, but we managed to get out of it somehow. Sorry to make everyone worry,” I said.
“I imagine it wouldn’t have reacted had there been anyone else in the room with Arihito. But it still attacked with Theresia present…,” said Elitia, imagining what happened in Sophie’s room at the Healer clinic.
The Vine Puppeteer had said Theresia wasn’t even “entirely a monster.” Leila from the Mercenary Office had told us that demi-humans were humans who had lost their lives in the labyrinth and come back changed. I knew it was safe to assume that Seekers who were resurrected as demi-humans gained monster-like characteristics. That might be why the Vine Puppeteer hadn’t been wary of Theresia even though she had been in the same room. It was thanks to those characteristics that she could save me from a very dangerous situation. Part of it was that she was a demi-human who could slip into cracks in the monster’s defenses, but it was more that Theresia had the courage to jab her own hand with the Puppeteer’s vine in order to save me.
She hadn’t taken a seat when we came into the room; instead, she was just standing at the edge of the room and looking at me like always, but she came over before I called her and sat at the table with the rest of us.
“Where’s Misaki and Suzuna?” I asked.
“Taking a bath. They were pretty dirty from fighting in the mud,” said Elitia.
“The tub can fit three at a time, but we didn’t want to leave you to come back to an empty suite, so we decided to just wait here chatting,” added Igarashi.
“…We were actually talking about you. You always go around with Theresia, but we were thinking it might be nice for you to switch who you take with you every once in a while. I can be your bodyguard, too,” said Elitia with crossed arms. Igarashi must not have thought Elitia was going to tell me what they were talking about because she started coughing, the tea she was drinking having gone down the wrong pipe.
“Um, cough, cough… I don’t really have a problem with staying behind. No need to worry about it. You seem most relaxed when you’re with Theresia anyway…,” said Igarashi. I was about to say she might be right, but admitting it was embarrassing enough. Even I was starting to feel uncomfortable, which meant Theresia was already turning bright red.
“……”
“…Are you saying we could take turns in a set order?” asked Elitia. “No, that’s not it… Oh, do you mean Arihito should tell us who should come along each time?” That did seem to be what Theresia was trying to convey, but she didn’t nod in response.
“I think that’s what you thought, but you’re taking it back. Do you mean that you want to go with Atobe all the time? Geez, Atobe, Theresia has really taken a liking to you… I know that’s just how it is, but…”
“Well, I suppose it makes sense, since she even helps him take a bath. If he didn’t invite her, she’d just go along anyway,” said Elitia.
“……”
How is she not embarrassed by the whole bath thing…? Well, she does actually look like she’s blushing a tiny bit. Is she trying to keep it under control because she knows she won’t be able to join me if she gets too red?
It was quite impressive if that were the case. Though, my conscience kept telling me it wasn’t okay for us to take a bath together.
“…Um, so what’s for dinner?” I asked.
“Marsh Ox steak. Apparently, you can’t normally get it in restaurants in town,” said Igarashi.
“I get hungry after a fight; I need to make sure I get enough nutrition. I’ve been so hungry lately,” admitted Elitia a little bashfully. She was still growing anyway. I just wanted everyone to be able to eat good food and be healthy.
“But first… About that bath…,” started Igarashi.
“You and Elitia can go next. I’ll go last,” I said.
“……”
“Uh… N-no, Theresia! Look, men and women generally shouldn’t take baths together,” explained Igarashi. I waited to see how Theresia would react, but my hopes that she would listen obediently were dashed when she shook her head.
“I want to respect your relationship… But we just wait nervously when you’re doing it. Do you understand that?” Igarashi reasoned.
“……”
Theresia gave a tiny nod after a pause. Both Igarashi and Elitia seemed relieved to see that.
“Well then, you can come with us today. Then Atobe can go alone—,” started Igarashi, but Theresia’s response to the suggestion was fast and very clear. She shook her head side to side, and Igarashi collapsed on the table at a loss.
“Um… Igarashi, does it really bother you that much when Theresia and I take a bath together?” I asked.
“…Uh, I mean… That’s not a question I feel equipped to answer.”
“W-wait, both of you. I know that we can’t force Theresia to act a certain way. That’s why I was thinking we could switch places with her so she can understand how we feel, or… I trust Arihito, and I don’t think anything inappropriate is happening, but if we could see it with our own eyes, then we can put this whole thing to rest,” said Elitia.
“O-okay, if that’ll convince you… W-wait, you mean now…?” I said as Elitia stood from her seat and headed toward her room. Before going in, she turned back to say something.
“…Well, Misaki and Suzuna are about to finish their bath.”
“E-Ellie, I mean, that’s definitely an option and all, but if we’re actually gonna do this, I’ll need some advance notice—”
“Sure, Arihito might be uncomfortable with three women around…but this is all just to put our minds at ease. Don’t get the wrong idea.” With that, Elitia dragged me into the room, a flustered Igarashi rushing after her.
“Haah, I feel sooo much better! Arihito, we had such a nice bath,” said Misaki.
“…Um, will the rest of you be taking a bath together?” asked Suzuna. “I’m sorry, Arihito. I’m not sure why, but Elitia seems really bothered by the fact that you and Theresia take baths together…”
The party’s mental health was an important thing for me as the leader to take care of, and I should have been able to avoid us taking a bath together… But now that things had gotten like this, I needed to prepare myself for the worst.
Bathing clothes were apparently commonly sold in the Labyrinth Country. The public baths in town were like massive pools that could be used by anyone, regardless of gender, so you couldn’t go in naked. Instead, people would bathe wearing these bathing clothes. The housing for those at lower ranks didn’t have baths in their own facilities, so those people would have to use the public baths, meaning these clothes were actually necessities for anyone who’d just come to the Labyrinth Country. Igarashi hadn’t known all that when she’d come across it in the shop during her downtime, but she decided there might be a time she needed it and bought it. On top of that, there were two sets of bathing clothes provided in the royal suite. Perhaps they hadn’t expected four people to bathe together, so we were still missing a set for me.
“…I feel like it’d be better if I went and bought one to wear,” I said.
“I-it’s all right… We’re the ones making the fuss; we wouldn’t want to make things harder on you,” said Igarashi.
“Theresia, let’s get going and wash Arihito. How do you normally do it?” asked Elitia.
“……”
Elitia seemed to be convinced that she’d be offered some respite if I would just hurry up and get in the bath. I could understand why, but I still wasn’t quite sure why washing myself wasn’t an option.
“I-Igarashi. This is really quite strange. Wouldn’t this be about when you would say this isn’t going to work?” I asked.
“W-well, this is just how it’s gotta be! Theresia’s been showing you her gratitude, and yet, we haven’t done anything�
�� We want to express our thanks, too, y’know.”
I had assumed that Igarashi and Elitia had been talking about how concerned they were that I was doing something inappropriate to Theresia…but apparently, I was completely off the mark.
“I’ve only made it this far with everyone else’s help… I don’t think we really owe each other anything. I might sound stupid saying this, but we support one another; we’re all here for one another,” I said, but I wasn’t sure I could make it convincing, since I was sitting there covered in nothing but the towel wrapped around my waist. Or so I thought, but both Igarashi and Elitia looked impressed.
“…And that’s precisely why everyone’s so anxious. Even I’m starting to feel it a little bit,” said Elitia.
“Seriously… If I can’t even take care of you while you’re at home, then I’ll never be able to pay you back. You’ll keep saving me, and I’ll never give back to you,” said Igarashi.
“……”
I was at least aware that I couldn’t just push away their attempt now that they’d opened up to me this much.
“…I’m…surprised that you would express your gratitude with a bath, but I am really happy,” I admitted, knowing that saying that would mean any future expressions of “gratitude” could very well involve them washing my back. The bathing clothes made it so I was only a little uncomfortable with the whole thing, but I didn’t feel I could tell them it was out of the question.
“A-all right, then… Let’s get started,” said Igarashi.
“Let’s rinse him first. He’s covered in some mud from the labyrinth,” continued Elitia.
“……”
Theresia made sure the water in the basin was a suitable temperature, then poured it over my shoulders. She tried to do it gently, but it still splashed on the girls a little. When they started washing me, I suddenly realized one potentially fatal oversight.
…If they aren’t wearing anything underneath the bathing clothes…won’t it be bad if they get too wet…?
“Spread your fingers, Atobe. We have to get in between them properly…”
“…Arihito, what’s wrong? You seem really stiff all of a sudden,” asked Elitia.
“N-no… Nothing’s wrong,” I said.
“Ha-ha, you don’t have to be so nervous. We’re wearing clothes,” said Igarashi.
I wondered if bath time would end before the three realized how they looked. This would be safer if we could get them actual bathing suits, so I wanted to buy some if possible… But for the time being, my only option was to keep my mind off it.
Part II: A Suite for Eight
I meant to get out of the tub and let Igarashi and the others take it easy in the bath, but they didn’t take a very long one, instead coming out of the bathroom fairly quickly, all of them bright red.
“Um… Kyouka, can I ask what happened? I mean, I probably don’t need to ask; it was obviously something scandalous,” said Misaki.
“What are you talking about? Nothing happened; we were just trying to express our gratitude to Atobe…,” said Igarashi, thrown off-balance by Misaki’s blunt question. Elitia tried to run off to her room, but Suzuna grabbed her by the sleeve and stopped her.
“Um, we don’t doubt what Kyouka said. You should sit down and drink some water. It’s important to rehydrate after getting out of a bath,” said Suzuna.
“Y-yeah… B-but…I’m not sure we were careful enough. I mean, Arihito didn’t do anything wrong; I just can’t really relax around him right now. I sort of just want to go to sleep and ground myself,” replied Elitia.
“Oh, did you start to feel more and more embarrassed even though you thought it would be all right, since you were wearing clothes? You three are so innocent—not that I can really talk,” said Misaki.
“……”
Theresia seemed embarrassed to be called innocent. The three of them were so red that I’d fan them if I had a paper fan with me, but I couldn’t honestly say nothing happened. I felt terrible about it, but the girls weren’t angry at me when they realized their clothes were getting see-through. And while it made me uncomfortable, they had somehow all decided that it had just been an inevitability. But what I saw was burned into my memory. I had known I’d need the purest of intentions when I let all the girls join my party, but I wasn’t living up to that now.
“…Hmm? What’s wrong, Suzuna? You’re staring at me,” I said.
“It’s nothing. You should just make sure to drink some water, too…”
“Suzu was saying she wanted to help wash you to say thanks, too. She was sighing the whole time we were waiting,” volunteered Misaki.
“H-hey… Why would you say that, Misaki…?” said Suzuna.
“It’s not scary to run a red light if we’re all doing it together, right? So that’s what I’m asking of you,” said Misaki.
“Hey, what exactly are you talking about…?” I said, but she didn’t explain. She instead just went back into her room. She left Suzuna behind, who—even though she was normally such a calm girl—jumped when I made eye contact with her.
“…I… Um, I want to say thanks to you, too, just like everyone else… I was just thinking how much I really wanted to show my gratitude somehow. N-not that I’m jealous or anything…,” she said.
“…You don’t need to be so cautious, Suzuna. Arihito understands. I haven’t even known him that long, and he let me help wash his back,” remarked Elitia.
“Y-yeah… I was a little surprised. But I am the adult in the situation. I shouldn’t be so flustered…,” I replied.
“You’re pretty relaxed about it now… Even though you were the most uncomfortable at first,” said Igarashi. She seemed the most embarrassed about the whole wet clothes thing. That was understandable considering the size of her chest. I could just see the way the wet cloth clung to her…but I couldn’t let my mind drift any further, lest it show on my face.
“…Does karma not go up for someone you’re in a party with?” she asked.
“H-hey, give me a break. I don’t want to go to jail,” I said.
“It seems that the karma isn’t reacting, since both parties are on the same page… But your license is always watching, which is an unsettling feeling. You should be careful,” said Elitia, slowly downing a glass of water. Soon, it would be time to wrap up for the day and prepare for tomorrow.
“Now that I think of it, what about Melissa and Madoka? They’ll be staying with us starting today, right? Since they’re in our party now,” continued Elitia.
“Oh… Yeah, that’s right. We need to assign rooms,” said Igarashi, and I finally had a thought. Where were those two? Just as I was thinking that, there was a knock at the door, followed by a voice.
“Arihito, we’re back. It’s Madoka and Melissa,” came Madoka’s voice.
“Oh, welcome back. Let me unlock the door for you,” I said, opening the door to let them in. Melissa seemed to have taken a bath earlier somewhere else; perhaps she was being considerate, since she had probably been dissecting earlier. Madoka wasn’t wearing the turban she normally had on, so I wondered if she had joined her. Her black, bobbed hair was slightly damp.
“Did you take a bath somewhere else? You can use the one here if you want. It’s not a problem,” I said.
“Yeah… And thank you. But Melissa wanted to take a bath at home today, so I went along, too. I had some business outside and took Cion along as well,” said Madoka.
“I see. Did she go back to the shed out back?”
“…She’s a good girl. So strong but listens to everything you tell her,” marveled Melissa. She must like dogs as well, because I saw a tiny smile on her face. She was wearing a dress instead of her normal overalls, and her hair, which was usually all over the place, had been neatly brushed. Perhaps Madoka had helped her once they were done with their baths.
“Here’s the tonic you requested from the Pharmacist,” said Madoka.
“Uh… R-right. That was a lot faster than I expected. Th
anks for taking care of that,” I replied.
“No need to thank me. It’s part of my job. I’m glad I could help out.” I wanted to just say thanks and move on, but obviously, Igarashi wasn’t going to let this pass without asking about it.
“Tonic? Like, some sort of revitalizing tonic? I guess even the Labyrinth Country has health drinks,” she observed.
“They’re often made from mushroom-type monsters, but I didn’t realize you could make something from Dirty Mushrooms, too. We must have gotten some rare materials because Misaki was with us,” said Elitia.
“Some mushrooms are poisonous, but some are really good for you, too. I assume those were the kinds of components used here,” added Madoka.
Igarashi would occasionally drink health drinks at work, so she was probably curious that there might be something similar here.
Melissa didn’t really say anything. She seemed hesitant to talk about the tonic earlier, which was why I’d been certain it was used for…that. But maybe I was wrong.
“If someone’s feeling really worn out, they can drink it,” I offered.
“Huh? …You sure? But isn’t this valuable…?” asked Igarashi.
“We could hunt Dirty Mushrooms if we really wanted to, so I wouldn’t say it’s so rare that we could never get our hands on it again. It probably has a strong taste, so I’m a little curious to have someone taste test it,” I said.
“Geez, Arihito… But I guess you’re right. If it tastes terrible, then we wouldn’t be able to make ourselves use it even if we needed to,” replied Elitia.
It could be helpful if it could make someone in the party feel less tired after our days of seeking. I thought that would be a better use than if we held on to it forever.
Well, then it would make the most sense if I tested it, but my opinion was that anything we obtained from the labyrinth belonged to the entire party, which meant everyone who wanted to taste it could. It wasn’t like I was afraid or anything. “It’s a nice amber color and looks like it might taste nice… But I’m not sure about the smell,” said Igarashi.